HONOLULU — Voting on a bill that would create no-spray buffer zones around sensitive areas was deferred by The Hawaii House Agriculture Committee in a joint hearing with the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection Tuesday, essentially killing the
HONOLULU — Voting on a bill that would create no-spray buffer zones around sensitive areas was deferred by The Hawaii House Agriculture Committee in a joint hearing with the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection Tuesday, essentially killing the bill for this legislative session.
House Bill 2564 aimed to protect children from pesticide exposure at school. The bill outlines buffer zones around five schools statewide as a pilot project.
Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser said he’s deeply disappointed in the decision.
“It flabbergasts me that the House or representatives agriculture committee refuses to support such a modest request,” Hooser said. “It demonstrates how out of touch the members of the House ag committees are to community concerns.”
Hooser said a bill to create this type of pilot program has been debated at the state level for a couple of years.
“People have been saying they’re concerned and the Legislature does nothing,” Hooser said. “I think we need to replace, statewide, some of these legislators with people who are more concerned about people’s health and the environment.”
Hawaii Center for Food Safety also expressed disappointment with the decision, and is calling for state agencies to step up and address community concerns.
“We know this issue is not going anywhere. It’s time for the state to take the necessary actions to protect Hawaii’s keiki from harmful pesticide exposure,” says Ashley Lukens, director of the organization.
Representatives from major agricultural companies like Monsanto and DuPont testified against the bill and said it’s unnecessary.
The Department of Agriculture is also opposed to the bill and said that pesticides are already well regulated.
The House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection Chair, Chris Lee, said at the Tuesday meeting that his hope is the committee will make pesticides a priority.
“I look forward to the Department of Health and others re-engaging on this issue moving forward,” Lee said.
During last year’s legislative session, House Agriculture Committee Chair Tsuji blocked similar legislation by deferring the vote on a different buffer zones bill.
”Despite the disappointing decision, the public hearing for the bill, held on Feb. 9, opened up unprecedented discussion and opportunities for the State Departments of Health Agriculture and Education to work together on viable solutions,” said a release from the Hawaii Center for Food Safety.
